Pictures

Forsale

News

Karl and Lisa organised the November ride for the Taunton Group where 8 tandems and 4 solos, including a recumbent, set out from Lutzy’s coffee shop at Exeter Quay.

Fully satisfied with the home baked Portuguese tarts (the house speciality) we headed off for a level ride to Dawlish along the Exe Estuary. The weather couldn’t have been better, a cold sharp day with awesome clear blue sunny skies. We passed many train and bird spotters lining the way, giving them a rare but fabulous sighting of an exotic group of tandemists.

At the mid way point of 12 miles we visited Daisy’s Tearoom in Dawlish to sample their cakes and once again satisfied we headed back to Exeter Quay for a leisurely lunch at the Puerto Lounge.

Although this was a level ride, not too taxing!! it provided a chance to take in beautiful scenery and a chance to catch up with the happenings of the group along the Estuary.

17/11/2018

TandemClub

More mobile friendly

We have been working on making the website more mobile phone friendly. Its not complete yet, but hopefully most pages should display better on these devices.

31/10/2018

Taunton

October 2018 Report

James and Andy organised the October ride for the Taunton Group which trialled a different way of leading a route.
As the group has become bigger it has brought obvious social advantages, but some problems as well. If 24 people turn up at a cafe and ask for double shot flat whites with skinny almond milk and sprinkles, basically the rest of the day is a right off. Add on a puncture or two and someone missing a turning and it becomes tricky for the organiser and frustrating for everyone else.
So October’s route from Bovey Tracey to Moretonhampstead and back was really simple; almost everyone could self-navigate, cycle at their own speed, arrive at the cafes in their own time and the organisers rode at the back to sweep up any problems. So because we were ready for problems…..there weren’t any. And we had great weather, autumn leaves, super company and the best cycling cafe in the west.
www.cafe3sixty.co.uk
Altogether a good day out!!

30/09/2018

Taunton

September 2018 Report

Mark and Liz organised the September ride for the Taunton Group where 6 tandems and 2 singletons met at Yatton in slight drizzle which rapidly improved to a pleasant day. Quiet small lanes were taken to Clevedon where the tide was in and there were fine views over the Bristol Channel. After coffee on the seafront we tackled a hill out of Clevedon and then onward to Weston in Gordano before joining sustrans route 410 towards Nailsea. Suburban roads were taken around the edge of Nailsea and Backwell to take us to lunch at the Rising Sun.

Food was served promptly and portions were ample! Finally a rural route was taken to Claverham and back to Yatton.

21/08/2018

Taunton

August 2018 Report

Chris and Chris organised the August ride for the Taunton and West Country Groups where 14 tandems and 2 solos assembled at The George Hotel in Castle Cary on a warm and overcast Saturday. Members Carol & Tim and Mandy & Mike were making their first foray into Group rides.
After pre-ride coffee and cakes we followed the South Somerset Cycle Route south out of town and through charming villages such as North Cadbury, South Cadbury (past the site of the Iron Age hill fort, Cadbury Castle) Corton Denham, Sandford Orcas and Trent.
Splendid “sheep dog” work was done by Malcolm to gather up strays that missed one of the many twists and turns.
Lunch was taken at The Lamb&Lark @ Limington and both very good service and meals were fully appreciated.
Following lunch a gentle return through Kingsdon and Babcary to Castle Cary completed the 35 miles of occasional undulations.
Afternoon tea and cakes were enjoyed by several at The George once more and an enjoyable event was concluded without any mishaps.

11/08/2018

ShropshireandStaffordshire

!2th August 2018

Due to a poor weather forecast the decision has been made to cancel the ride out from Market Drayton on Sunday 12th August.

28/07/2018

Taunton

July 2018 Report

Andy & Anita organised the July ride where eleven tandems and one solo started from the Crediton Leisure Centre.Amongst the tandems were two Pinos, one was John and Judy's new mount, the other was ridden by 'Freetrike' Tom and his young son Oliver. Tom supplies a range of bikes and tandems specifically adapted to meet a variety of special needs. We were also joined by two of James' grandchildren, one on his tandem and one on a solo, so good to see youngsters on a club ride.

We set off at a leisurely pace through the back lanes towards Killerton House and our coffee and cake stop. On the way we happened upon our friends Julia and Meg who were out on a training run, getting ready for a 24 hour mountain bike race and then later in the year a run from Lands End to John o' Groats. They were soon pressed into service directing everyone through a staggered junction - thanks ladies. They rode with us until the picturesque village of Thorverton.A few more miles saw us at Killerton and their excellent cakes and drinks.

The ride back from Killerton through Silverton was slightly more challenging than the way out, steadily climbing until just outside Shobrooke where we dropped 200 feet and then promptly had to climb 90 feet back up again before we reached the Red Lion and our lunch stop. The joys of cycling in Devon! The food was pre ordered so we didn't have to wait too long for lunch, which was well received by all.

A short ride back to Crediton, and as if by magic, an Ice Cream van turned up just outside Mid Devon Tyres, I'm not sure who was more pleased, us or the guy in the Ice Cream van who suddenly had a massive increase in Ice Cream sales!

Thanks everyone for joining us, we look forward to riding with you again soon.

01/07/2018

Taunton

June 2018 Report

John & Judy together with Rex & Hannah organised the June ride for the Taunton Group. 10 tandems met at Hestercombe Gardens and set out in the sunshine for a gentle meander and morning coffee in the lovely walled garden of the Bike Barn in Taunton. 10 tandems continued over more challenging terrain, 2 turned round and took the low road while 8 hard core tandems carried on to climb up to Fyne Court at Broomfield. 10 tandems then met back at Hestercombe for lunch.

23/05/2018

Taunton

May 2018 Report

After cancelling the scheduled March ride due to 8' snow drifts, 9 tandems and 2 solos met at Bovey Tracey on a beautiful sunny morning for a ride over Dartmoor organised by Steve and Maggie.

We started with the challenging climb of Haytor stopping halfway (about 700') at Ullacombe Farm Shop, where we enjoyed a leisurely break sitting in the sunshine. After our fix of coffee, we were now ready to attack the steeper part of the climb, which then plateaued out before another steeper section to the summit of about 1400',where we regrouped, taking photos of the iconic rock and the wild Dartmoor ponies. We then continued across the undulating Moor, enjoying the bluebells, gorse and stunning views, eventually winding down through the Devon lanes to the B3212. Heading east with the road twisting and turning and with a couple of fast descents, lunch at Moretonhampstead was calling. The Union Inn was welcoming and we were well looked after.

Remounting our trusty steads, we were ready for the slow, steady climb towards Doccombe, after which we were able to enjoy the long 4mile decent towards Dunsford. Regrouping once again at Steps Bridge, we then turned south to follow the pretty Teign Valley road towards Chudleigh Knighton and back to the finish at Bovey. We rode 32 miles and climbed just over 2700'. The ride seemed to be enjoyed by all and there were no complaints about the downhill sections!!!

18/05/2018

TandemClub

2018 Tandem Rally News - Updated

2018 International Tandem Rally

50 hardy riders braved the heavy rain and breezy conditions to join the joint Taunton and West Country group ride for April organised by Malcolm and Grace. With 24 Tandems and 2 solos the group had to split into two so as to avoid causing traffic congestion. Group 1 assembled in an orderly manner and were dispatched 10 mins before group 2 who had to be constrained from the desire to chase group 1 and catch them A ride along Burnham on Sea promenade then through Highbridge arriving at Rich’s Cider Farm for morning coffee. This popular restaurant was keen to see we were served and on our way in time for their very popular carvery lunch customers. The two group system continued as we cycled our way in the rain to Cheddar. The Riverside Inn was well prepared to serve us even though some last minute additions were made. 50 servings all delivered in a timely and professional manner. After lunch the rain was even heavier and looked like it was determined to ensure we were going to ride the final 9 miles back in the wet but then the sun came out and began to dry our wet cycling clothes. A final steep climb back into the village of Bleadon and we were home, 35 miles mostly wet but with 50 riders having a very enjoyable and social ride.

14/03/2018

EastLondon

Ken Saunders - In Memoriam

It is with regret that I have to pass on the news of Ken Saunders death. He, together with his wife Margaret, were founder Regional Officers for the North Essex, South Suffolk area of the Tandem Club. He passed away on Tuesday 6th March after a return of his throat cancer. They had a tandem trike and were often to be seen out in the byways of Suffolk and farther afield, with their dog Lulu in a carrier behind. Ken was a great character, very friendly and with a good sense of humour, he will be sadly missed.

01/03/2018

TandemClub

Email with link to Journal in audio MP3 form

You can now get an email sent to you with a link to the journal in audio MP3 form sent to you once Eifion has done his magic. Email webgroup@tandem-club.org.uk to set this up for you or you can set it up the next time you renew, there is a checkbox on the membership form.

01/03/2018

Taunton

February 2018 Report

Taunton Tandem Group has become so successful that even in the middle of February 13½ tandems turned up for this months ride organised by Richard and Michelle. The newly adopted policy of splitting into two groups, following the same route but with staggered start times, worked well. We met at the Willow & Wetlands Centre at Stoke St Gregory before heading to Langport for lunch, following quiet lanes through the pretty villages of North Curry, Barrington and Kingsbury Episcopi. The ‘A Team’, ably led by Nick and Rachel, arrived for lunch intact and without incident. The ‘B Team’ was less successful suffering a broken gear cable (which Steve managed to fix with a cable tie, although he and Maggie then had to complete the ride in one gear) and, more seriously, a broken bottom bracket on Mark and Liz’s tandem. Fortunately, some friendly locals took pity on them and gave them a lift to Langport. Mark then teamed up with John to go and fetch the van, whilst the ladies enjoyed more coffee and cake! The Bow Wharf Café did a great job in serving 27 pre-ordered lunches. A brief rain shower failed to dampen spirits on the short ride back to Stoke St Gregory.

21/01/2018

Taunton

January 2018 Report

James and Liz organised the January ride where ten tandems and 5 solos met at Combwich just outside Bridgwater.

It’s rather fitting that the attached photo is taken in the pub - it was only a short ride and the weather wasn’t really on our side, but the majority of the ride was spent in the pub as the food took for ever to arrive! Lovely people, as always, and an interesting part of Somerset to explore but maybe the constant inhalation of fumes from Hinkley Point Power Station slows the cooking somehow. And they ran out of peas!

07/01/2018

Taunton

December 2017 Report

The Taunton Group had a short ride planned for the day of their Christmas meal which was organised by Ian and Lisa but the weather was so bad that it was shortened to just three and a half miles! Only 3 couples agreed to tackle the challenge – a ride up the hill to Peter Merson’s house where he kindly supplied coffee and a slide show of his early tandeming years. We also saw Peter and Jenny’s pictures of Salviac.

The Christmas meal for 39 Tandemists at the Walnut Tree was up to the usual standard and the Christmas quiz was followed by the prize for the best fancy dress – awarded this year to Nick and Rachel. The trophy for the couple who had attended the most rides was awarded to John and Judy. Nick then led us in song to the ‘French’ version of the Tandemists anthem ‘Daisy Daisy’ which the Taunton Group had sung previously in Salviac.

Lisa and Ian were thanked for their work as ROs and presented with a bottle of wine and flowers.

15/12/2017

TandemClub

German Tandem Rally

The rally is being held in Bensheim, a small town in the south of Hessen, about 30k north of Heidelberg.The dates are 9/5/18-13/5/18. Arrival on the 9th and departure on the 13th with rides on the 10th, 11th and 12th. Participants can choose a long ride (80-100k), medium 60-80k or short 40-60k) The base is at the Allee Hotel :- alleehotel@alleehotel.de A double Europa room costs €540 for 4 nights inclusive of breakfast and the evening meal. Bookings are to be made direct to the hotel quoting Tandemtreffen 2018 The rally is being organised by Reiner and Marion Bünger and their email is :- TT2018@fam-buenger.de The German rallies are very social affairs and we thoroughly enjoyed last years, we have already booked for this one. E-mail Jane Taylor for more information.

15/12/2017

TandemClub

Renewal e-mails failing

Orange have discontinued their ‘freeserve’ and ‘fsnet’ email service so renewal reminders are not being delivered. If you had a freeserve or fsnet e-mail address which has been discontinued please let the renewals secretary know your new e-mail address. e-mail: renewals@tandem-club.org.uk

So you need to go into your Twitter feed and search for that handle and then hit the "follow" button!

Include the hashtag '#tandem' in tweets - then you will be ale to see them immediately by searching for #tandem in the search bar and hitting latest on the menu bar

And if you're not yet on Twitter then here is a link to a simple guide to signing up. It really is easy and you get to choose who you want to follow so you won't be swamped with messages you don't want. https://support.twitter.com/articles/100990

19/11/2017

Taunton

November 2017 Report

Nick and Rachel organised a glorious November ride with coffee to start and then a mixture of gentle and more aggressive undulations over 22 miles. There were 27 of us and, had we laid our tandems end to end, it looked like nearly a furlong's worth! We went west from Taunton and strung out across the lanes of Taunton Vale to descend into Milverton. A Somerset local who on another day might have had a smock and a wisp of straw in his mouth asked us what we were doing clogging up his village, and encouraged all those on the back of tandems to rise up against their oppressors on the front. Then we went east back to Taunton and shared some good beer and delicious food at the Vivary Arms. It was then back to Nick and Rachel’s for a very generous afternoon tea and cakes spread